Volume 75, Issue 2,
January 2010

The articles in this edition cover a wide range of topics. As always, emphasis is placed on an integrated lifeview foundation that offers new insights into relevant philosophical, moral and ethical issues in the variety of disciplines.

Do values contain directional-normative value? A review of the value project of the North-West University

As indicated in the title, the aim of this article is to determine the value (if any) of values, especially as expressed by a value-driven institution. To avoid abstract reflection, the article (cf. the subtitle) focuses on a specific institution, viz. a university. To concretesise the investigation even more, the North-West University (which came into existence in 2004) is taken as a case study. The investigation develops as follows: by way of introduction, attention is first given to the popularity of present value thinking, followed by the problem statement: Are such values really capable of indicating a normative direction? Secondly, the development of a university with a normative foundation (the erstwhile Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education) towards a value-driven one (the new North-West University) is briefly described. In the third place a brief description of the NWU as a value-driven institution is given. Fourthly, attention is given to some practical problems which surfaced during the implementation of the value project. Fifthly, six theoretical-philosophical problems regarding the NWU's value system are discussed. The next main point consists of a brief description from a reformational perspective (of structure, direction and relevance) of what an academic institution ought to be. Apart from expressing doubt about the real value of values to give a solid foundation and clear direction to a university, the preliminary conclusion also suggests further philosophical reflection on the real nature, status and authority of values.

The problem of religion in/and education is a worldwide one for education policy-makers - even in the most homogeneous populations. Several strategies have been developed for coping with this problem, but they tend to fall short in terms of finding equilibrium on the universal-particularity continuum. There is a way for attaining the desired equilibrium, namely to take account of the institutional identity of each individual school, and to allow each school community the freedom to choose the type of religion education that would be most suitable to its particular needs and circumstances.

A neglected facet of the legacy of D.F. Malherbe: Art - independent and dependent

During his studies in Freiburg, Germany Malherbe also had to study philosophy and its history. Since the late seventies the University of the Free State organises an annual commemorative lecture on some or other aspect of the legacy of Malherbe - mostly focused on his literary work and sometimes also on his competence as a linguistic scholar. Initially he adhered, in his view of art and the aesthetic, to the idea that the artist is "free" in the sense of not being bound to aesthetic norms or principles. However, after his retirement discussions with his son-in-law, Herman Strauss, brought him into contact with the new reformational philosophy at the Free University of Amsterdam (Dooyeweerd and Vollenhoven). This caused a radical paradigm-shift in his theoretical understanding of reality and in his view of art and the aesthetic. In this article his view of the (in)dependence of art and the aesthetic is presented against the background of views in which the meaning of the aesthetic is distorted by making it serviceable to something non-aesthetic and of a view which elevated the aesthetic into a self-contained haven where the "soul" can experience "rest and bliss". Malherbe provided an analysis of basic aesthetic principles as they reflect the coherence between the aesthetic and non-aesthetic aspects of reality. His broader orientation is embedded in the ideal of Christian scholarship within all the disciplines.

Serious reflection is required to determine our position regarding our image of the human being. The image we maintain is of critical importance. It determines interhuman relations and human action. The traditional notion of the human subject as absolute, self-certain and autonomous has been comprehensively questioned for some decades and can be considered outdated. This rethinking has a long history and a diversity of insights has been developed by many influential thinkers. Processes of informatisation play a significant role in the development of these different perspectives.
Three developments seem prominent. The first is the development of the notion of the so-called "decentred subject". The second development puts more emphasis on the mechanical - more specifically the mechanisation of the mind, with the consequent renunciation of human spirituality. This perspective is a predecessor of the third development which entails a further degeneration of human subjectivity. Non-corporeal consciousness can now be downloaded onto computers. The figure of the posthuman emerges. Problems of fallibility, mortality and ageing will disappear. Although such an apocalyptic viewpoint may indeed sound tempting, it leaves many crucial questions unanswered.
On the other hand, when dealt with differently, this process of rethinking brings forward some rich and new articulations of what it means to be human, which can be of great significance for individuality and sociality in the light of the crises that threaten to fatally derail contemporary societies worldwide. It is, moreover, not totally unrelated to the other three ways and receives its inspiration from them.

This article is based on research done within the Afrikaans-speaking community in the area of the Drakenstein Municipality, Western Cape province, South Africa. The focus falls specifically on one concept that was outlined during the research, namely the perceptions of fathers and adolescent sons on identity formation within their relationship as well as the role that God plays. Combined qualitative/quantitative research was conducted with emphasis on semi-structured interviews with fathers (n=4) and adolescent boys (n=4) and an auto-ethnography of the author as the dominant component. The less dominant quantitative component consisted of questionnaires completed by fathers (n=42) and adolescent boys (n=180). Metatheoretical assumptions and theoretical assumptions as grounding for the male identity are discussed as part of the author's paradigmatic perspective. Furthermore, empirical findings are discussed and recommendations are made. From the discussions with fathers and their sons it was clear that both fathers and sons have a need to stand in close relationship to each other and to God. It is within this relationship where their identities are formed. However, fathers seemed to be resistant of transferring their beliefs to their sons. Adolescent boys also indicated no need to one day transfer learned behaviour from their fathers to their sons.

This article provides a review of ethical food labelling from a consumer perspective and makes recommendations to the food industry and regulators regarding ethical food labelling in order to satisfy consumers' food-labelling needs. Various studies have found that many consumers have negative perceptions regarding food labelling. However, research on consumers' perspectives regarding ethical food labelling has been accorded little attention. This article addresses this topic through a review of the relevant literature of mostly quantitative research, but also includes qualitative and mixed method studies. The article examines such aspects as the trustworthiness of claims on food labels, intelligibility of label information, listing of food additives on labels, and labelling of genetically modified foods. As negative perspectives on food labelling are likely to affect consumers' decision making regarding the purchasing of food products, the food industry must realise their responsibility to provide ethical food labels. The food industry and regulators should aim to provide risk communication and intelligible information through ethical food labels and consumer education programmes on food labelling. Consumers need to be aware of their right to know what they are purchasing through ethical food labels and take a stand in this regard.

The development of inexperienced researchers is crucial. In response to the lack of research self-efficacy of many previously disadvantaged individuals, the article examines how mentoring can enhance the research self-efficacy of mentees. The study is grounded in the self-efficacy theory (SET) - an aspect of the social cognitive theory (SCT). Insights were gained from an in-depth study of SCT, SET and mentoring, and from a completed mentoring project. This led to the formulation of three basic principles. Firstly, institutions need to provide supportive environmental conditions that facilitate research self-efficacy. This implies a supportive and efficient collective system. The possible effects of performance ratings and reward systems at the institution also need to be considered. Secondly, mentoring needs to create opportunities for young researchers to experience successful learning as a result of appropriate action. To this end, mentees need to be involved in actual research projects in small groups. At the same time the mentor needs to facilitate skills development by coaching and encouragement. Thirdly, mentors need to encourage mentees to believe in their ability to successfully complete research projects. This implies encouraging positive emotional states, stimulating self-reflection and self-comparison with others in the group, giving positive evaluative feedback and being an intentional role model.

Science is essentially about asking and answering questions. In short, these questions revolve around what is happening, why it is happening and how we should respond. We are living in a profoundly different era than any other in human history, which poses new questions and challenges to the research community. The level of complexity has increased dramatically to the extent that some questions are considered trans-scientific in that traditional science is unable to provide answers.

This book on Stefans Grové is a fascinating mix of personal accounts by those who have known one of South Africa's foremost composers, and critical commentary on his oeuvre. Grové's oeuvre includes musical as well as literary texts, but the focus of the collection falls on the musical oeuvre and justifiably so, since Grové has been and remains a composer who is also a writer.

This booklet was published by Cluster Publications as the first book in their proposed series "Signs of the Times". The reader is, therefore, immediately compelled to read the text from a specific paradigm. The book is organised around seven chapters. The chapters deal with climate change in the news: what is the church doing about climate change; what response is required to curb climate change; the church and consumerism; theological resources for responding to climate change; confessing guilt in the context of climate change; and discerning God's Word for our time.

This book is intended to be a contribution to the debate on the philosophical foundations of Statistics, a debate which has continued for more than a century and with many conflicting views. It has been said that the subject of Statistics suffers such strong divisions concerning its foundations because it is so close to the philosophy of knowledge. Indeed, Statistics is concerned with the very difficult and age old problem of obtaining valid knowledge from numerical data.

Gendered discourses in musicology constitute a highly current hence topical research issue. This publication, while it breathes a breath of fresh air into the (oftentimes) conservative world of musicology, should not be seen as the final word on this issue. I have no doubt that many more discourses will follow either as a result of this one and/or discussions with other points of departure. I am in full agreement with the editors when they state in the introduction that over "the past two decades, the study of sexuality and gender in music has become a decidedly mainstream activity".